Linnett &amp; schwarz



E. B. LINNETT.

TRUNK BRACKET. APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, 191?. RENEWED JULY 30. 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

E. B. LINNETT.

TRUNK BRACKET.

ULY 2, I917- RENEWED JULY 30, I920. 1,3633? Patented Feb. 15, 192110 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

APPLICATION FILED J WITNESS E. B. LINNETT.

TRUNK BRACKET. 4 APPLICATION FILED JULY 2, 1917. RENEWED JULY 30, 1920. 1 368,?37, E

Patented Feb 115, 1921b 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- STATES earner caries.

EDGAR B. LINNETT, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO LINNE'TT & SCHWARZ, 0F IRVINGTON, NEW JERSEY, A. FIRM COMPOSED OF EDGAR B. LINNETT AND JACOB W. SCHWARZ.

TRUNK-BRACKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1921.

Application filed July 2, 1917, Serial No. 178,118. Renewed July 80, 1920. Serial No. 400,211.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EDGAR B. LINNETT, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey have invented certain Improvements in Trunk-Brackets, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to those brackets which are used in wardrobe trunks for supporting garment hangers, and which are usually extensible so that when the trunk is open for use they can be extended or drawn out for greater facility of access to the garments.

The objects of this invention are to provide means for automatically operating a trunk bracket from the usual hinged end which is at the top when the trunk is open;

brackets by gravity or inadvertence when the trunk is closed; to enable two brackets, affording support for two-point suspension hangers, to be operated simultaneously by the movable part of the trunk; to thus carry the garment hangers in and out without displacement relative to each other, such as would cause binding of them or disarrangement of the garments; to enable the device to be operated either by taking hold of the movable trunk part or of the extensible bracket; to limit both extension of the bracket and opening of the hinged end by the same stop means, preferably on the bracket;;to provide connecting means and other mechanism such as will not interfere with the garments carried in the trunk; to secure simplicity of construction and operation, and to secure other advantages and results as may be brought out in the followingg description.

Figure l is a front View of the upper port1on of a trunk section, showing my invention mounted therein;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional view of said trunk section showing the hinged end thereof closed and the bracket retracted.

Fig. 3 is a similar sectional View showing the hinged end raised and the bracket extended;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view on line 4:, a of Fig. 3 looking in the direction indicated by the arrow;

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the slidable bracket member; 1

Fig. 6 is a front view similar to Fig. 1, showin a modified construction of bracket;

Fig. l is a vertical cross-sectional view of the trunk section shown in Fig. 6, showing the hinged end of said section closed and the bracket retracted, and

Fig. 8 is a'similar sectional view showing the bracket extended.

In the specific embodiment of the invention illustrated more particularly in Figs. 1 to 5 of the drawings, the reference numeral 1 indicates the body portion of a trunk secis preferably hinged to the back wall of the section, although this may be otherwise if found desirable. Suitably mounted within the body portion 1 near the top thereof are extensible brackets 41-, 4, one preferably near each side of the trunk. Said brackets afford a two-point'suspension for garment hangers 5 hung thereon, and when extended said brackets preferably move the hangers forward out of the trunk by virtue of said brackets being extensible.

Describing the construction illustrated in greater detail, it will be noted that a metal band 6 preferably extends around the upper edge of the body portion of the trunk section 1 for reinforcing the same, and secured to this band at the back of the trunk are uprights 7, 7, preferably of sheet metal and secured fiatwise with respect to the back of the trunk. These uprights extend above the top of the body portion within the cover of the section, one near each side of the section as shown. Fast with respect to these uprights and extending forwardly to the front of the section of the trunk are fixed tracks 8, 8 Which are preferably rods substantially parallel to each other and to the to side ed es of the trunk section. Near the outer ends of these tracks or rods are braces 9, 9, which extend downwardly from the tracks and then laterally to the side of the trunk section for supporting and bracing the tracks.

'Slidably mounted on the tracks 8, 8 are tubular or extensible members 10, 10 which, when the trunk is open, may be slid outwardly and retracted again when the trunk is to be closed. Each tubular member has a slot 11 extending longitudinally of itself through which the brace 9 supporting the track may pass without interfering with sliding the tubular member out and in. It may be here noted that the brace 9 is preferably of sheet metal, positioned edgewise longitudinally of the track, so that the slot in the tubular member need be in width only the thickness of the sheet metal of the brace. As shown in the drawings, the brackets are positioned near enough the top of the cover so that the garment hangers 5 cannot be removed therefrom while the cover is closed 'down over them and the tubular member slid in under the cover. However, when the cover is raised or the tubular members slid out the garment hangers may be readily removed.

It is a feature of the present invention to slide the tubular members out simultaneously, so as to not cause them to bind against each other, or cause disarrangement of the garments. Furthermore, this operation of the tubular member is preferably obtained by lifting the hinged end of the section. In carrylng out this feature of my invention, I provide suitable connecting means adapted for the purpose, the particular means shown comprising three links 12, 13 and 14 all hinged together upon a common pivot adjacent one end of each link. The other end of one link, as 12, is pivoted to the body portion of the trunk section near the top of said body portion and preferably, as shown, is pivoted to the reinforcing bar, as at 15. Another one of the links, as 13, is pivoted, as at 16, to a suitable cleat 17 fast upon the side wall of the cover. The third link 14 is pivoted at its other end to suitable depending ears 18, 18 from the tubular member 10. Obviously as the hinged end of the trunk section is raised the link 13 will draw up wardly and swing the link 12 pivoted to the trunk body upward also, moving the common point of pivoting of the three links upwardly outward, and pushing the third link 14 forwardly so that the tubular member is slid outward or projected from the section, as shown in Fig. 3. When the hinged end is lowered again, the reverse action takes place sliding the tubular member back again into the trunk. By employing similar sets of links for each of the tubular members and arranging the point of pivoting just the same for each set, both of the tubular members will be extended and retracted at the same time by operation of the one movable part, that is, by raising or lowering the hinged end. The tubular members, in their retracted positions, extend substantially to the inner wall of the trunk so all the garment hangers will be carried upon them. Consequently, opening the hinged end and sliding said tubular members out will move the garment hangers and garments out of the trunk with the one manual operation of raising said top.

Furthermore, extension of the brackets, that is, outward movement of the extensible or slidable members, is limited by the same stop means which limits opening of the hinged end, and as may be seen in the drawings, the parts are preferably arranged and adapted to permit the end of the link 14 pivoted between the cars 18, 18 of the tubular or extensible member to engage the edge of the brace 9 when said member is slid to its outermost position. This occurs before that link is in the same strai ht line with the link 12 pivoted to the bod y portion,'as a result of which further upward movement of the common point of pivoting is prevented, and that being so, the link 13 connected to the hinged end of the trunk section is stopped thereby preventing any further upward movement of said hinged end. The arrangement and operation of the links is such that the brackets may be extended or retracted by raising or lowering the hinged .end of the trunk section, or said hinged end may be raised or lowered by manually drawing the tubular members out or sliding them in respectively. It may also be here noted, that with the hinged end of the trunk closed, as when the trunk is being shipped, the links act to positively hold the extensible members of the brackets from sliding upon their tracks and continually thumping the other section of the trunk.

Referring now to Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive. the bracket 20 is of the lazy-tong type. One of the inner end arms 21 of the lazy-tong bracket is pivoted preferably adjacent the upper end of an upright 22 near the side of the trunk section 23. The other inner arm 24 of the bracket is pivoted, as at 25, intermediate of the endsof a lever 26, said lever being itself pivoted, as at 28, to the upright at a distance below the pivotal attachment of the first-mentioned arm. To the other end of said lever is pivotally secured a link 29 which extends upwardly and has its upper end pivoted to the hinged end 30 of the trunk section, as at 31. By raising the hinged end, the link 29 is drawn upwardly also which resultsin swinging the arm 24 of the lazy-tong so its upper end moves forward thereby extending the lazy-tong. A suitable stop may be provided for limiting both the outward movement permitted the lazy-tong and upward swing of the hinged end, and as shown such a stop 32 is provided upon the reinforcing band 33 at the top of the body portion of the trunk section against which the link 29 will engage as the cover 30 reaches its open osition.

In this construction, li (e in the construction of Figs. 1 to 4:, there are two brackets, one near each side of the trunk, and it is preferable to extend both brackets at the same time, for which reason each bracket is provided with links as above described of the same lengths and pivoted similarly so swinging open the one movable part of the trunk extends both brackets the same amount. If desired, a connecting bar 34 may be provided at the outer ends of the lazy-tong brackets, connecting said brackets and by means of which the same may be pulled out or pushed in and operate the cover in so doing. Obviously, when the hinged end is held closed as when the trunk is being transported, the brackets are held retracted and prevented from hammering against the other section of the trunk.

It may be noted that in both constructions illustrated, the brackets are adjacent the sides of the trunk sections, and the operating parts do not project into the space between the brackets where the garments hang at all, thus avoiding any likelihood of damage to the garments or entanglement of said parts.

Obviously detail modifications and changes may be made in manufacturing my improved trunk bracket without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself except as required by the following claims when construed in the light of the prior art.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. The combination with a wardrobe trunk having an opening top, of spaced and parallel fixed tracks in the upper part of said trunk, slidable brackets mounted on said tracks to receive the opposite ends of two-point suspension garment hangers and admitting of garments beingsuspended between them, and means 'for sliding said brackets on said fixed tracks by opening and closing of the said top of the trunk.

2. The combination with a wardrobe trunk having an opening top, of spaced and parallel extensible brackets in the upper part of said trunk for the opposite ends of two-point suspension garment hangers and admitting of garments being suspended between them, actuating means for said extensible brackets, and connecting means between said actuating means and the top of the trunk, whereby said brackets are simultaneously extended and retracted by the opening and closing of the said top of the trunk.

3. The combination with a wardrobe trunk having an opening top, of an extensible bracket mounted in said trunk, actuating means for said brackets connected between the bracket and back of the trunk, and means connecting said actuating means and the said top of the trunk for extending and retracting the bracket as the said top is opened and closed.

a. The combination with a wardrobe trunk having an opening top, of a pair of extensible brackets mounted in said trunk, actuating means for each of said extensible brackets, and connecting means between each of said actuating means and the said top of the trunk, whereby the said brackets are si-,

multaneously extended and retracted by the opening and closing of the said top of the trunk.

5. In a wardrobe trunk having a hinged portion, an extensible bracket in said trunk, a pair of links having two of their ends pivoted together and their two other ends connected to the extensible bracket and trunk body respectively, and a third link pivotally connecting the first two links to said hinged portion.

6. In a wardrobe trunk having a movable portion, a track in said trunk, a slidable member on said track, a pair of links having two of their ends pivoted together and their two other ends connected to the slidable member and trunk body respectively, and a third link pivotally connecting the first two links to the movable portion.

In a wardrobe trunk having a movable portion, a track in said trunk, a slidable member on said track adapted to be projected from and retracted into said trunk, a pair of links pivoted together at one end and pivoted to the slidable member and to the trunk respectively at their other ends, and a third link pivoted to the movable portion of the trunk and to the firstmentioned links for swinging the same and sliding the movable member as the movable portion is opened or closed.

8. The combination with a wardrobe trunk having an opening top, of a fixed track mounted in said trunk, a supporting bracket connected near the outer end of said .track and secured to the trunk, an extensible bracket slidably mounted on said track, and means for connecting said sliding bracket to the top of the trunk, whereby the extensible bracket is extended and retracted as the top of the trunk is opened and closed, said connecting means engaging said supporting bracket to limit the exten- 5 sion of the said extensible bracket and also to limit the opening of said trunk top.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

EDGAR B. LINNETT.

Witnesses:

HOWARD P. KING, JANET A. Amns. 

